Development
Experiences in software development
My professional experience in software development focused on me wearing many hats to support various roles. I have functioned as a Producer, QA lead, Localization Producer, Level Designer, Play tester, and other roles in between.
In 2016 I decided to go back to school to further expand my skillset in software development. I was trained in OOP with computer science as my major and majored in design with a focus on User Experience. I was able to work on projects in Unity and expand my knowledge on even more aspects of development.
Below are various school projects as well as roles I performed in professional projects. You can also visit the UX section to explore the case studies of these projects further.
Nori and the Curry Caper
Unity Platformer
For my senior BFA show, I decided to use the semester to combine my learnings from Graphic Design and computer science to build one large project. For these fourteen weeks, I learned Unity and developed a game of my design as a self-driven project. Nori and the Curry caper is a 2D action platformer based around the characters I have created.
I designed the program from the ground up. I did all the programming, and I created all the assets except for audio. The worldbuilding was done with modular assets to speed up creation as well as produce variety.
The final game was put on display in an arcade cabinet. I also designed the cabinet and modified it to accept a PC to demo the game. To log my process as well as the learning experience I made a book that was also available at the show. You can download the PDF here. You can also check the graphic design section for more information about the logo design and the character design section for more on the characters developed for this project.
Design Constraints
SIUE URCA Project
This program was the result of a student-funded project I was awarded by SIUE. For the project, I was to develop a teaching tool based on a dice game created by Barb Nwacha. The purpose of the program is to teach typography by limited the choices and forcing the student to dig deeper to produce an assignment. This works in conjunction with principals of Massimo Vignelli & Johannes Itten. I coupled this project with my study of human-computer interface and created a drag and drop interface. It was released as a webGL application in Unity that met our goals.
You can try out the application here.
Archetype
IOS Producer
Archetype was the first big title I worked on. I worked as a producer for the project but wore many hats. Tasks range from level design to playtesting and coordinating various departments. Archetype was one of the first inductees in the App Store Hall of Fame reaching #2 overall in the app store.
The game spawned a spin-off called Archetype: Cadet where I took on the lead as QA. Experiences here allowed me to gain experience in many of the moving parts of the development. Below are other projects I worked on.
User Experience
While games require their own level of considering of interactions in respect of UX, the following project focuses on my exploration on menu and functionality aspects of UX. The following project was the cumulation of my studies of my Human-Computer Interface course.
VDO Go
UX/UI Design
The process started with the development of the branding. I did not want the company logo to be a distraction. The concept was to simplify the look and call-back elements commonly associated with video.
The majority of the application is an experiment in monochromatic UI design. The goal was to use shading, hierarchy, and other visual elements to guide the user’s attention. Controls were simplified and features were stripped out to allow for easier access from novice users. UI relies on familiar elements built on from the Apple symbol library.
You can try out the XD prototype here. The prototype is scripted, and clicking on various components will allow you to simulate using it on a mobile phone device. The demo can also be experienced on an iPhone using the Adobe XD app.
Easy Dinner
UX/UI Design
This prototype followed various aspects of UX design as a group project for SIUE. My two other team members and I delegated tasks and pursued research that followed our studies. We developed the concept and performed interviews. We also used research strategies and statistics from our testing to refine the design. The build utilized prototypes in paper, web and finally an XD Demo.
You can try out the XD prototype here. The prototype is scripted, and clicking on various components will allow you to simulate using it on a tablet device. The demo can also be experienced on an iPad using the Adobe XD app. Begin by selecting the icon from the home screen.
Other Mobile Projects
Below is a list of some of the other projects I had worked on for Doe Doe, Villain, Elephant Mouse, and Wiley Publishing.
Star Trek: Rivals
Rivals was a Star Trek battle card game on IOS. For this project, I provided playtesting and QA feedback. I also managed the localization team.
The Godfather Slots
This was a slot machine IOS title built for “The Godfather” Movie franchise. For this project, I provided QA feedback. I also managed the localization team.
Minions
Minions was an FPS IOS title. For this project, I provided playtesting and QA feedback.
Lil’ Birds
This IOS title was a virtual pet collection game. For this project, I provided playtesting and QA feedback. I also managed the localization team.
Matchlings
Matchlings was a match-three puzzle game for IOS. For this project, I provided playtesting and QA feedback.
Bail Out America
This was the first game project I worked on a small team for Doe Doe. This is a satirical puzzle game was released to coincide with the US government bailing out large corporations. Uncle Sam spits out cash, and you have to guide the money to the Fat Cat Ceo by destroying hospitals and schools. I helped flesh out the concept on this project as well as design levels and refine gameplay. I provided playtesting and QA feedback and I designed the Fat Cat Ceo sprite.
Art of the App Store
With my experiences with app development to this point and the knowledge gained from working on Archetype, I acted as the technical editor for this book written by my Archetype colleague Tyson McCann.